With his funky Afro hairstyle, super cool attitude and superb karate
skills, Jim Kelly was instantly identifiable, and one of the top
martial arts film stars of the early 1970s. After appearing in a minor
film role, Kelly's second screen effort was as one of the invited
guests to the deadly Han's Island in
Enter the Dragon (1973). Kelly quickly cropped up
in several more martial arts influenced "blaxploitation" films
including
Three the Hard Way (1974),
Golden Needles (1974) and
Black Belt Jones (1974), with its interesting fight
finale in a soap filled car wash! He then appeared in several other
action films of the late seventies, however since 1980, Kelly has only
cropped up in two minor roles. A talented athlete, winning ranked
titles both in tennis and karate, Jim Kelly was an integral part of the
African-American & martial arts cinematic explosion of the
1970s.
Afro Ninja(2009)as Cleavon Washington
Stranglehold(1994)as Executive #4
Ultimatum(1994)as Executive
Highway to Heaven(1984)as Reporter
One Down, Two to go(1982)as Chuck
Death Dimension(1978)
Black Samurai(1976)
Hot Potato(1976)
Golden Needles(1974)
Melinda(1972)
The Last Doorway Show with Miss Misery(2007)as Self
Macked, Hammered, Slaughtered and Shafted(2004)as Self
The Way of the Little Dragon(1997)as Self
Top Fighter(1995)as Self
Enter the Clones of Bruce(2023)as Black Belt Jones
My Father Muhammad Ali(2023)as Self
Blood and Flesh: The Reel Life and Ghastly Death of Al Adamson(2019)
Missing Reel(2014)as Black Belt Jones
The Oscars(2014)as Self - Actor (In Memoriam)
